Struggling to live the life less expensive. Two children, too little money.

Saturday, 16 November 2013

Threeses (like elevenses, but at three in the afternoon)

They decided to eat their threeses together, sitting on a stool in the kitchen. The yellow sticklebricks are toffee sticks, apparently, and are essential when one is feeling poorly. Nicky takes his to the shops and back in a toy pushchair. He's 19 months old, talkative and baffling, and likes to have his toy digger's teeth brushed and a dose of calpol given to it before he'll put up with either of these indignities for himself.

Libby is four now, bouncy and intense and utterly obsessed with Katie Morag (this predates the current television adaptation, I have been carefully fostering it for a couple of years, but it has reached new heights in the past few weeks). If I can manage it, she's going to have a Katie Morag jumper for Christmas. It's aran weight, she's fairly slender and not all that tall (2/3 of my height already, but I'm not just "not that tall", I'm minuscule), nothing can possibly go wrong...

And I will be knitting it in pure acrylic (the pattern's stated yarn even, thanks to Black Sheep, who have been selling me cheap yarn for years and years). Giving a four year old a cream jumper is insane to begin with, I need it to go in any old wash, because it will be doing so at least once a week. There are washable wools, but they still need a wool cycle and they take their own time drying, which is an issue in a small damp house in the winter time. Also, she does have eczema, and wool can be a problem - she's fine with beautiful pure merino, but my bank balance isn't fine with that at the moment, and there isn't time between now and Christmas to experiment with cheaper blends. Every fibre has its place, even the man-made ones, and this is a place for acrylic.

(Also, that thing about wool not burning? It's quite true, but babies aren't exactly given to spontaneous combustion, and if they're near enough a flame for it to be a issue you have more immediate problems than just what fibre you've dressed them in).

4 comments:

Nicky looks very different from the last time I saw a photo - definitely a real little boy now rather than a baby. I love how different their hair is. Mine started out as one fair and one dark (in that order) but have converged on darkish mouse.

Burning wool smells absolutely disgusting. I speak as one whose little brother once threw her hat on the fire in a fit of pique.

He's still a baby late at night when he's looking for milk, but that's about the only time now.

My brother was a platinum blonde at that age, and is now almost as dark as I was (before greying), so I have no idea what colour Nicky's hair will end up. They do both have reddish ginger lights in their hair when the light catches it.

About Me

Mid 30s, overeducated, never knowingly accused of being calm and rational about anything. Currently working as full time wrangler of two children under 4. If I had a proper job I'd get statutory breaks, paid holidays, sick leave...